L.A. industrial/hardcore duo Youth Code have announced a one-off NYC show at Saint Vitus on January 27, where they'll be joined by like-minded harsh-electronics outfits Statiqbloom and Sannhet. Tickets are on sale now. Youth Code, who put out a new EP earlier this year, are currently on tour with Skinny Puppy, with whom they've already played a bunch of shows this year. (Skinny Puppy are also not happy with the U.S. government using their music in Guantanamo torture). They'll also be headed to Sweden in 2015 for Kollaps Festival. Full lineup for that fest is listed below.

All upcoming dates for the Youth Code are listed, along with Sannhet's new album teaser, a stream of Statiqbloom's new split with Zex Model, and a stream of Youth Code's recent EP A Place To Stand, below.

DIIV are about to hook up with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Doldrums on their tour which kicks off this week. DIIV won't be at either of UMO's NYC shows (6/7 at Mercury Lounge and 6/8 at Glasslands) but they'll be playing their own NYC show on Friday (6/8) at 285 Kent with Captured Tracks labelmates Mac DeMarco and MINKS, along with Life Size Maps, Crinkles, and Turnip King. Admission is $10 and there will be free pizza. (Nobody yell "food fight!" ok?) The flier for this show is below.

DIIV's debut full length, Oshin is due out June 26 via Captured Tracks. The band just spoke to John Norris for an interview with Interview Magazine about the album:

JOHN NORRIS: Guys, this is a band that only a year ago had just barely begun, right? And at the time you just had a handful of songs?

SMITH: [Our first show was in the] end of July. It's funny, when I was first writing songs for this record, all the song titles would be just like the date, and then a short word describing it. And I could probably look back and see that I recorded some song on the record like today, exactly one year ago. Basically I wrote all the songs, with a few exceptions, in May of last year.

NORRIS: In a very concentrated amount of time?

SMITH: Yeah, yeah, real concentrated. A couple of the songs that don't sound anything like each other, I wrote on the same day, within like 10 minutes of each other.

DIIV recently revealed a video for the track, "How Long Have You Known?," off that album, which you can watch below.

Supreme Cuts are playing a record release show for Whispers in the Dark at Glasslands on July 20 with The-Drum and Sich Mang. Tickets for that show are on sale.

When we first mentioned the Gotye show at Williamsburg Park with Zammuto, tickets were set to go on sale Friday, June 8 at noon. Tickets will now go on sale Friday, June 8 at 10 AM. Gotye's Radio City show goes on sale June 8 at 10 Am as well.

DIIV was added as an opener to the Best Coastshow at Terminal 5 with Those Darlins. Tickets for that show are still available.

R. Stevie Moore and Andrew Cedermark were added as openers to the Real Estateshow at Webster Hall. Tickets for that show are still available.

DIIV (formerly Dive, we'll stop saying it soon) dropped another new track from their upcoming debut Oshin, out June 26 on Captured Tracks. Like the rest of the album, "Doused" (that recently got "Best New Track" over at Pitchfork). was recorded with the full band (early singles were just Cole Smith) and definitely gives you a good idea of what they're like live these days -- dark, driving, ever-moving. You can stream it below.

DIIV, who are growing more popular by the second, aren't playing 17 shows a week anymore. The band wrapped up a tour with Frankie Rose recently at Mercury Lounge (and then snuck in a secret show at Glasslands much later the same night...3AM or so) but have otherwise left their summer mostly open. Your next chance to see them is at Brooklyn Bowl on May 24 as part of a Hype Machine-presented night that also features The High Highs, Killer Mike and Beat Culture. It's free with RSVP.

Indie rock readings of Phil Spector pop are almost passé at this point, but Jones makes it work due in no small part to his English wit, articulation, and gray mood. "Get a Grip" opens with a small, fun riff, prefacing a crooned rhyme: "I need to get a grip, I always seem to let my smile slip." His delivery is slow and monotone, as he stretches each fifth syllable or so, but it's a toe-tapper, underpinned by cool bits of bongo and guitar. The bongo drum returns later on "You Don't Have to Tell Me", and whether or not the 50s jazz-club feel comes with a wink, its faux-sophistication still comes over as charming. "Luck Is There to Be Pushed" has a similar effect, but this time with the runs of jazz piano that fleck its dramatically soft guitar strums and subtle, gliding synths.

In addition to streaming the album, you can watch the video for Spectrals single "Get a Grip" at the bottom of this post.

Friday's show at Glasslands is with Australia's Twerps, who have been visiting America since SXSW and have added this one last show. If you haven't heard their 2011 self-titled album (one of my favorites of last year) you can stream a few tracks at the bottom of this post. They're good live too. Also also playing are Family Portrait. This is an early show as Glasslands hosts Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (sold out) later Friday night.

While currently busy out on the road supporting Frankie Rose, Dive have changed their name to DIIV. While Allmusic.com lists about 10 artists with the name Dive, Cole Smith tells Pitchfork that the spelling change comes specifically "out of respect" to the Dive that was the pseudonymn of German industrial musician Dirk Ivens. "A name is nothing," Smith told Pitchfork. "I don't really give a fuck what the band is called. I originated this project in a bedroom with no internet and didn't know it would ever leave." Whether the rest of his apartment or his phone had the internet and access to Google.com is undetermined at this time.

Beach Fossils is a big influence on me just because [Beach Fossils leader] Dustin [Payseur] is one of my best friends, and I really respect him musically. But I have not written or played on any Beach Fossils material that people have heard. It's funny to think about the two projects being linked in that way, because to almost every single person who has listened to Beach Fossils, there's no actual connection.

I don't know if I'd go that far -- Dive's first single "Sometimes" had Beach Fossils fingerprints all over it -- but anyone who's seen the band play recently (maybe at our day party in Austin last month) knows that Dive has really come into their own sound and are one of the most exciting live bands in Brooklyn right now (according to this writer). Unlike the early singles, which were Cole Smith on his own, Oshin was recorded with the whole band. Before that, Dive will release non-LP single, "Geist," on April 24. The A-side is downloadable at Pitchfork, and you can grab the b-side -- a cover of Kurt Cobain demo "Bambi Slaughter" -- above.

It was a very good day. Bill wrote about some of the bands who played on Friday including Nardwuar's band The Evaporators who definitely put on one of the day & week's most memorable performance for those who caught it. As Bill wrote, "At one point, one group of people were holding him up while another group were holding his organ (hello!) while he played it... and then he soon climbed on top of it. There were costume changes, group singalongs, question and answer sessions and a lot of really fun garage punk. One of my Top 5 sets of SXSW 2012."

The Black Angels closed the day off right with a set of their 60s-influenced, psych rock n roll to an oferflowing house on the outdoor stage that saw a full crowd throughout the day thanks to names like Polica, Youth Lagoon and Tennis.

So many bands, so little time, so experience it with the pictures that continue below (and stay tuned for more on BV Austin)...

As you know, BrooklynVegan is taking over ALL THREE STAGES at connecting Austin venues Hotel Vegas & Volstead for FOUR DAYS STRAIGHT this week, and it's all 100% FREE (no RSVP or badges either). There's a big outdoor stage, and smaller stages inside Hotel Vegas & Volstead. Collectively we're calling the four day long party "Hotel Vegan" (located at 1500 E. 6th St, Austin, TX).

HobNob Wines offers free music content at its HobNob Inner Circle on Facebook. Join HobNob's Inner Circle to access exclusive downloads, editorial and info on upcoming events. Previously featured artists include Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Saint Bernadette, The Antlers, Company of Thieves, Xylos, as well as The Black Angels and Polica who are both playing this party.

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Friday is just one of four full days at Hotel Vegan. Wednesday lineup HERE. Thursday lineup HERE. Saturday lineup HERE.

It begins. Bands from all over the world -- England! Canada! Sweden! New Zealand! Virginia! -- descend on New York as they beat a path to Austin for this year's SXSW. Which is good for those who aren't going, as well as folks who are but want to see bands play longer than 25 minutes and aren't strung out on a four-day diet of free breakfast tacos, Vitamin Water and Amstel Light. There's lots more going on than what is covered below, but it's what I'm interested in over the next few days.

Demarco, who used to record under the name Makeout Videotapes, has a smoky baritone that is part Chris Isaak and part Tindersticks. His music owes a little to Isaak as well, with an early '60s vibe (Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent) by way of '80s neon, all on a four-track budget. You can check debut "Baby's Wearin Blue Jeans" from his debut, Rock n' Roll Hotel (out 3/20) at the top of this post, which is indicative of what Demarco is all about. You can also watch the video for "Only You" which is kind of NSFW. Dude's a provocateur.

Hoop Dreams

Tonight's MHoW show is the first NYC show we've had from Blacksburg, VA's Hoop Dreams in a long while. They were good when I saw them at Glasslands last year and have the potential to be breakouts for the label if they ever get around to releasing another record (only a single so far). Live, they're more in the Arcade Fire/Editors anthemic style than the single might suggest. It will also be a good opportunity to hear new music from Beach Fossils who are busy at work on their second LP.

And of course, DIVE, who are probably one of the more exciting live bands in Brooklyn right now and are a definite SXSW must-see if you don't live here and have the opportunity to catch them twice a week like we currently do. (They're also touring with Frankie Rose in April.) The show is sold out tonight, but I'd be shocked if there weren't tickets at the door at least when the box office opens.

TOPS

Montreal band TOPSare playing 285 Kent tomorrow night as part of a killer bill that includes Blood Orange, Phone Tag and Caged Animals. The four-piece is comprised of most (if not all) of MTL's Silly Kissers who played here a few times over the last few years and were a little on the precious side (they sometimes wore mime makeup). TOPS, however, are more in the Ariel Pink/Puro Instict brand of minimal keyboard pop. Their debut, Tender Opposites, came out this week on Artibus Records, which is also home to Grimes (in Canada). You can download "Turn Your Love Around" at the top of this post and stream the whole thing (and watch the further down.

So is Blood Orange, despite it just being Dev Hynes, his guitar and a laptop. I saw him last weekend at Glasslands where he spent as much time in the crowd as he did on stage. I do wish he'd get a band, but the one-man Blood Orange is a lot of fun. I haven't seen Phone Tag in a while, but I dig their brand of '80s synthpop.

Korallreven

Sunday night (3/4) at Bowery Ballroom is the NYC debut of Swedish duo Korallreven, one half of which is The Radio Dept.'s Daniel Tjäder. I like their debut album a lot, all lush, synth-driven dream pop but, like a lot of music like this, I wonder how they're going to make it an interesting concert experience. I envision two guys behind laptops and keyboards bobbing their heads and singing, with some projections and hopefully smoke machines. Maybe they could move the downstairs couches to the main room? Maybe I'm wrong. We'll see. I'm sure it will sound great in any case. If you haven't heard them yet, you can download "Sa Sa Samoa" in regular and remixed form at the top of this post and watch the video at the bottom of this post. Also playing: Lemonade and Young Magic.

Bachelorette

Also playing Sunday night, at Cameo, is Bachelorette-- aka New Zealander Annabel Alpers who I think lives here now. Buoyed by Alpers delicate, breathy voice, Bachelorette make ethereal synthpop not miles away from The Magnetic Fields, with whom she's going on tour for seven shows. (All dates at the bottom of this post.) I liked it better when she had a band, but the loop pedal incarnation is pretty lovely too. You can check out a couple videos below or stream her most recent album on Spotify.

And looking into early next week, San Francisco's Young Prisms and Austin's Boy Friend are at Glasslands on Monday (3/5). Young Prisms new album, In Between, is out March 27 on Kanine and is a real step forward for the band. Their still mining first-wave shoegaze, but the songs are much stronger this time out with a couple that go for jangly Velocity Girl style pop. They will be very loud I guarantee you. Boy Friend will make a nice opener, with their hazy, 4-AD miasma vibe. You can download MP3s from both bands at the top of this post. Also playing, seemingly from another show, are Alex Bleeker & the Freaks and Tanks Amigo.

That's the big stuff for the next four days. But wait, there's more. Day-by-day picks of things not covered above:

The Young Empires at M for Montreal 2011

FRIDAY, MARCH 2

Like Friendly Fires and Foals? Check out Toronto's Young Empires are at Glasslands, with Saint Motel, Fan-Tan, and Transmission NYC (DJ set).

Frankie Rose definitely prescribes to the "leave them wanting more" philosophy. When she blurted out "okay that was the last one, thanks" after seven songs, the entire Knitting Factory crowd did a "what that's it?" double take.

In fairness, she'd just blasted through most of her new, Best New Music'd album Interstellar (which clocks in at 32 minutes), skipping only the three ethereal slow jams that would be tough to replicate live. Especially at a first show playing all-new material with an all new band. A new album that is much more complex (and studio-centric) than anything she's done before. I think because we didn't get a "this will be our last song" warning, we weren't ready for it to be over.

First show jitters considered, it was a pretty good set. Frankie's definitely upping her game, with appropriately interstellar projections lighting the way, and a much stronger band than she's ever played with. (I'm not sure who most of them are but Alexander Iezzi, formerly of Dream Diary, was on drums.) It took about three songs to get the mix right, but by the time she got to the spooky, Twilighty "Moon in My Mind" they achieved liftoff.

We did get a one song encore, "Candy," the only older song of the night and the most confident of the set (No surprise, really). I hope, as the she tours with this new line-up, they try Interstellar's more delicate numbers like "Pair of Wings" and "The Fall" which are two of the album's best moments. And will lengthen that setlist.

Frankie's soon-to-be tourmates DIVE get better every time I see them. Which is fairly often. Jokes are made about how often they play, but damn if that constant gigging hasn't paid off: DIVE are crazy tight and exciting. And that's more than you can say about 90% of bands. While they suffer a bit from samey material (which bares more than a little resemblance to Cole Smith's other band, Beach Fossils), they make up for it with boundless energy.

I've seen openers Night Manager a few times now and I'm still not sure what to make of them. It's almost like two styles force-fused together. While the band plays complex, riff-heavy music that recalls early '90s shoegaze and the DC scene (there's more than a little Shudder to Think in their sound), Caitlin Seager is more in the Bethany Cosentino pure/clear vocal style. (Which kind of makes them a little like Britpop band Echobelly, weirdly.) I'm not sure those two disparate elements work together all the time, but Night Manager are fun to watch, especially guitarist David Anthony Tassy who really gets into it.

As mentioned before Frankie Rose and DIVE head out on tour together in April. That tour now includes a May 5th Mercury Lounge show which goes on sale at noon today. All tour dates and more pictures of all three bands frokm the Brooklyn show, below...

Things are beginning to heat up, show-wise, as SXSW gets closer so if you're going to Austin you might do the smart thing and stay home and rest. But if you're dumb like me, there's lots of good music this weekend. To wit:

Dan Zanes these days is best known for his highly successful career as a maker of children's music, but in the '80s he fronted Boston's Del Fuegos, whose brand of no-nonsense roots rock was a college radio staple in the Reagan years. Dan and his brother Warren, plus other original members Tom Lloyd and Woody Giessmann have gotten the old band back together so 40-somethings can call the sitter and go hear him sing songs for grown ups. They play Bowery Ballroom tonight (2/23) and The Bell House on March 3.

In addition to records like 1984's The Longest Day and 1985's Boston, Mass, The Del Fuegos were one of the first "cool" bands to be accused of selling out, appearing in a Budweiser Miller commercial (which you can watch at the bottom of this post) that, if nothing else, inspired the classic Young Fresh Fellows song "Beer Money." Seems kind of silly today, and I'm sure Del Fuegos singles like "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" have held up pretty well.

The band have recorded a new EP, Silver Star, and you can stream one of its songs at the bottom of this post, where you'll find all Del Fuegos 2012 tour dates.

--Sophia Knapp

Another option tonight, over at Union Pool, is Sophia Knapp who you may know from Lights or Cliffie Swan but will release her solo debut on Drag City next week. The press release for Into the Waves offers up "melodic psych pop of the 60's, Tropicalia ballads, chilly '80s New York dance records, and the seduction of Stevie Nicks or Françoise Hardy" as influences but I think it sounds uncannily like the soft-focus pop of late-'70s Olivia Newton John.

You can download two tracks from her album at the top of this post and watch the video for "Nothing to Lose" further down. In addition to tonight's show at Union Pool, Sophia plays a free record release show at Sway on Wednesday, Feb 29 (leap day), and opens for Nite Jewel at Bowery Ballroom on April 24.

--Cardinal (Richard Davies on the right)

There are a lot of good shows Friday night (2/24) and we'll start with Richard Davies at Cake Shop. The Australian-born singer fronted cult band The Moles in the late '80s, and whose 1994 album with Eric Matthews, Cardinal, is a baroque pop classic. Improbably, Davies and Matthews made a second Cardinal album, Hymns, that came out last month and basically picks up where the first one left off. It's a little more indie rock and a little less harpsichord and trumpets, but it's recognizably Cardinal. You can download two tracks from Hymns at the top of this post.

Davies will also be playing SXSW next month. He can be hit-or-miss live, but is a legend and worth going to see. Also playing are What Next?, the new band from onetime Cause Co-Motion dude David Klein that also features members of The Beets and Beachniks, so expect some scratchy shambolic (maybe charming) indiepop. Check out one song at their Bandcamp page. Also playing: The Pharmacy and Intuitions.

--Pat Jordache

Montreal's Pat Jordache play Glasslands Friday night (2/24). Pat was in Sister Suvi with Merrill Garbus and though his music is a little more trad-indie than tUnE-yArDs, it's still rather weird. When I saw them at CMJ, they reminded me of '80s goth but their album that dark side isn't quite as pronounced. Maybe it was the two drummer thing. Anyway, Pat Jordache make a cool racket and know how to play to a crowd. They're opening for Javellin which I realize is why most people are going to go to this show, but do get there early for Pat.

Savoir Adore

Over at Cameo on Friday, Savoir Adore are having a record release party for their Dreamers EP. The single "Dreamers" came out on Neon Gold late last year and expands on their heartfelt, big pop sound. The EP expands that 7" with a bunch of remixes, one of which you can download at the top of this post. The band are going out with fellow Neon Gold acts The Knocks and St. Lucia, touring their way to SXSW and all dates are at the bottom of this post. Savoir Adore are putting the finishing touches on their new album, Our Nature, which will be out later this year.

--Spanish Prisoners

And finally, Spanish Prisoners are playing Knitting Factory Friday (2/24) with fellow locals Clouder. Spanish Prisoners album from last year, Gold Fools, is still a pay-what-you-want download from their Bandcamp page and is a terrific album if you haven't heard it yet. The band just released a video for "Know No Violence" which you can watch at the bottom of this post. Like pretty much every band in America, they're going on tour next month, stopping in Austin for SXSW, and all tour dates are below.

And that's the main stuff for this week's TWII. A few more day-by-day picks for shows not mentioned already are below

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23

We haven't heard from Acrylics in a while. See what they're up to at Cameo, with Kuroma, Tezeo, and Bright Moments.

Interstellar is a big, second-album leap of faith into deeper waters, a sparkling synth-pop record that wants very badly to mean something to dreamy, hyper-emotional twentysomethings. For her model, she's taken the impression of some of the dreamiest, most hyper-emotional records of her youth. The production on Interstellar is gorgeous, and clearly modeled on the Cure's big, panoramic pop records, like Disintegration: booming-canyon drums, acres of spannable horizon. The drum beat that opens up "Know Me" is virtually identical to that of "Close to Me", and the silvery guitar leads on "Gospel/Grace" are pretty much mimeographed from "Plainsong". But although Rose indulges pretty heavily in the Cure's primary colors, she paints something distinctly her own with them. The world of Interstellar is a vision of paradise as lifted from the front of a Trapper Keeper: air-brushed, pastel-hued, and gloriously vivid. [Pitchfork]

Frankie's sitting out SXSW this year but will bring DIVE along for an April tour of the US, and all dates, (Chicago & Austin included) are below, along with the video for "Gospel/Grace" (directed by Grass Widow's Hannah Lew)...

Captured Tracks signeeMac DeMarco, who has an upcoming Brooklyn show opening for labelmates Beach Fossils at MHOW on 3/2, just scheduled his own show, which will happen one day later at Glasslands (3/3). Tickets for that show are on sale now, and UPDATE: Widowspeak and Quilt are now listed as playing the show too. You can stream a Mac DeMarco track below.

Speaking of Beach Fossils, they're set to release the "Shallow" 7" b/w "Lessons" on February 21 via Captured Tracks. You can stream that track below and download it above.

Speaking of Captured Tracks, read about their big show at 285 Kent last week, HERE, and don't forget DIVE opens for Frankie Roseat Knitting Factory on 2/21.

Songs and dates, including the lineup of the Captured Tracks SXSW showcase, below...

Happy Groundhog Day folks. As you may have heard, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so we're getting six more weeks of winter. If that means the kind of winter we've had so far, I'm okay with that. I'm much more likely to head out and go see shows when not faced with the dreaded wintry mix. And there's lots of good shows this weekend, so let's get out there.

The record release party also Glass Ghost and Dustin Wong on the bill. The band are also heading out on a quick tour of both coasts and will be in Austin for SXSW. All scheduled tour dates are below.

The Darkness

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are The Darkness who are back for their first US tour in six years, playing Irving Plaza on Saturday (2/4, sold out) and Monday (2/6, still available). As stated before, I'm a huge fan of the Darkness' first album, 2003's near-perfect Permission to Land, which I picked as one of the best of the '00s. As a pop album. Justin Hawkins knows his way around a giant hook. After the overblown excesses of One Way Ticket to Hell (And Back) and Justin Hawkins' ill-advised Sunset Strip spandex group Hot Leg, the band seem to be back on track with new single "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us" which is a little more in the "Growing on Me" vein.

The Darkness' show at Bowery Ballroom back in 2003 was one of the most fun shows I've been to in the last ten years, and from YouTube footage of recent shows it looks like they've still got it. They are a kick-ass live band -- it takes skill to play "I Believe in a Thing Called Love's" solo whilst riding on your roadie's shoulders through the audience. (I hope they're still doing that.) Tickets are still available for Monday's show.

The Big Sleep

Hospitality aren't the only ones with a record release party this week. The Big Sleep released The Nature Experiments this week, their first album in four years and their record release show is tonight (2/2) at Knitting Factory. It might be their most melodic record to date, with more songs that have caught my ear on first listen than I remember them doing before. You can download two of the album's best tracks at the top of this post and the listen to the entire album at Spotify. The Big Sleep are touring as well, and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Moonmen on the Moon, Man

Still more record release party fun: Tomorrow night (2/3) at Cake Shop is a dual record release party for Moonmen on the Moon, Man and Glass Anchors who both have record coming out on the venue's subsidary Cape Shok label which finally seems to be in gear after a lot of promise but inactivity. MMotMM, which might feature members who work or even own Cake Shop, rock in an late-'80s/early-90s college radio kind of way. Their endearingly sloppy pop -- with a little punk and twang -- woulda been right at home on, say, Frontier Records, nestled in amongst Flop and Thin White Rope and Redd Kross. You can download a track from the EP at the top of this post.

Glass Anchors is the musical project of songwriter Annie Sicherman who I admit to not knowing much about but her Cape Shok EP is lovely, dusty folk pop. Says the press release:

Honing her songs in various bands over various years, soaring songstress Annie Sicherman brings us GLASS ANCHORS. The songs on her fledgling EP are plaintive, reflective, honest, and good. GLASS ANCHORS sounds best tearing up road (preferably dirt), the one to oblivion - right after you ended the longest relationship you ever had, the one you thought would last, the one with the proposal. That road can be in your head, but certainly GLASS ANCHORS has the ability to take you there every time... with Glass Anchors, we have the real Annie 3000%, no matter what road you're on.

You can stream Glass Anchors' EP at the bottom of this post. The Cake Shop show also features Bright Lights, Overlord and Fergus & Geronimo.

That's the big stuff this week. A few more picks, day-by-day, are below of things not already covered here.

Classixx

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

LA's Classixx play the Popshop party at Santos with Workout and The French Horn Rebellion. You may know Classix from their remixes, like the excelent one they did for Phoenix's "Lisztomania." The group's new single is out this summer on a new label that's a joint venture from the Kitsune Maison folks and, I'm not kidding, the Cobrasnake.

Chairlift released their new-wavey sophomore LP, Something, on January 24 and played a record release show one night earlier at Bowery Ballroom (1/23) with Violensand Dive. The show seemed to have gone pretty well until frontwoman Caroline Polachek was mauled by a drunk fan who refused to get off stage during the last song of the encore. A video of this show finale and another of Chairlift playing Something opener, "Amanaemonesia," along with more pictures from the show (Chairlift keyboardist Olga Bell aka Bell included) is below.

This weekend, Chairlift will kick off an Australian/European tour and upon returning to North America in March for SXSW, they'll head out on a full North American tour with fellow pop strivers Nite Jewel that runs from late March into April. The two bands play their last show together in Philly two nights before Nite Jewel headline Bowery Ballroom on February 24. Tickets are not on sale yet but check ticketmaster for updates. Chairlift have no upcoming NYC show, but stay tuned for an announcement (probably Webster Hall) soon.

Is it too late to say Happy New Year to all of you out there? Probably. Okay, nevermind. It is a New Year though, and the rock machine is already in full swing. If you haven't spent all your money on tickets to the chickfactor fest (I can't tell you how psyched I am to see Small Factory) there's some good options.

Like The Bees, The Stepkids recreate a specific era of sound -- early '70s psychedelic soul -- with such skill you might think it was some obscure Fifth Dimension album or outtakes from Psychedelic Shack. That it works beyond an exercise is mimicry shows how talented these three are.

And they are crazy talented. All three members write and sing and spent time playing with the likes of Alicia Keys, Lauren Hill and 50 Cent before deciding to take a stranger path in music. I do wish they'd make a 15-piece Stepkids Love Unlimited Orchestra so they could really do the complexities of the album justice in a live setting, but what they accomplish as a trio is still pretty damn impressive. (A killer light show helps in that department.) They were great when they played our day party at Public Assembly during CMJ week during which we taped them doing an acoustic cover of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" which you can watch at the bottom of this post. Also down there is the Tom Sharpling-directed video for "Legend in My Own Mind" which is pretty funny.

A few spots above the Stepkids on my Albums of 2011 list (#29) is Radical Dads' debut, Mega Rama, which is nine tasty chunks of shouty/catchy indie rock wrapped up in one of my favorite sleeves of the year. They're also a total blast live, as evidenced by anyone who showed up early to the BV-presented show at Brooklyn Night Bazaar last month.

I would mention the King Krule shows happening this weekend but as they're all sold out, you're either going or you're not. I thought he was good when I saw him at Glasslands during CMJ. He looks even younger in person, but that voice seems to be from someone 30 years older. Anyway, a few more weekend picks are below, day-by-day....

Brooklyn's Beach Fossils just announced a hometown show which will take place on March 2 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/13) at noon with an AmEx presale underway now. There are no other dates to report at the moment, but stay tuned for "a new Beach Fossils 7" SOON as well as a new album in 2012."

Beach Fossils side project Dive has a Brooklyn show happening even sooner, this Saturday (1/14) at 285 Kent with Burning Star Core, Thee Source ov Fawnation, and Them, There. On Todd P's site, Dive is billed as playing a "weirdo set." More details on this show are below.

As mentioned a couple times before, Frankie Rose's new album Interstellar is due out February 21 on Slumberland Records, the same night as the album's record release show at Knitting Factory with Dive and Night Manager. The album's first single, "Know Me," is out January 17 and you can download the a-side at the top of this post and stream it below.

About ten seconds into "Know Me" it's apparent that Frankie has left the garage. Insterstellar was produced by Le Chev who remixed Rose's "Candy" from her first album, and is one half of Avan Lava (and onetime bassist for Fischerspooner) and embraces synthesizers, jangly guitars, dancier elements, and even contains a few slow jams. Fans of The Wake and Craft Spells, take notice.

... But what are you doing late nite? After the ball drops & after the amateurs go home, come out to @285KENT AVE again & 2012 it up starting @ 2:30am!Trippple Nippples | DIVE | Shea djs @285KENT AVE 230am 12/31 aka 1/1 NYE
+ Reyka Vodka open bar starting at 3am
GET A 2ND CHANCE FOR THAT MIDNIGHT KISS... @ 3AM

285 Kent is throwing a holiday party tonight (12/20) with live sets from The Babies, DIVE, and Widowspeak and DJ sets by Matt Mondanlie (Real Estate, Ducktails) and Todd P. Doors are at 8 PM and entry is only $4, and:

get in free if you work for Todd P or Ric/Rambo or JM/R or 285 KENT AVE or Market Hotel or SHOWPAPER or Shea Stadium or Big Snow or Death By Audio or Glasslands.

More info on the show below.

And it's the second holiday party in NYC during the past week for Widowspeak who just played a dreamy set at the BV Holiday Party at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday with Twin Sister and Ava Luna. To keep in the holiday spirit, Widowspeak did a cover of The Wailers' "She's Coming Home" during their set. Maybe you can hear that again tonight. Some pictures from from Bowery are in this post.

Speaking of The Babies and Real Estate, they're going on an east coast tour together in January. That tour doesn't include any NYC dates yet, but it kicks off the day after Real Estate plays Terminal 5 with Girls and King Krule (1/14). Tickets for that show are still available.

London duo 2:54, the current project of sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow who previously played together in the punk band Vulgarians, have shared stages with Yuck, Male Bonding, and Warpaint, and even share an affinity with them for the same decade (the '90s). But while those bands are channeling the lo-fi/indie rock subgenres of the time, 2:54 are taking their influence from a much different side of the spectrum. Their name comes from the thundering 2:54 mark of the Melvins' "A History of Bad Men" and both sisters have a "life-long love of Queens Of The Stone Age".

The duo have yet to announce plans for an album, but they've got a few great songs on their soundcloud. The song "Scarlet" sounds like early-mid '90s Radiohead for about 20 seconds before the sludge-drenched guitar takes over and reverby sullen vocals kick in. Their first song to surface on the internet, "Creeping," is a locked-in stoner jam, and the guitars on "On A Wire" actually sound like they're being detuned as the song goes on. Check them out for yourself by listening to the streams of these tracks and a couple others below.

I'm heading to the M for Montreal festival tomorrow which will keep me busy and entertained, but here's what I'll be missing this week while I'm there.

Like last night, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are playing tonight (11/15) at the Beacon Theater and there are still (pricey) tickets available for the show. He'll then head to California for a few shows, and will be back in America in March (no NYC date yet). All Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

As someone who gave up on Oasis about two songs into Be Here Now, I was a bit surprised by how much I like Noel Gallagher's new album, which debuted at #1 on the UK album charts. While nothing strays very far from his wheelhouse, it sounds like he might have been saving up his best songs for himself. "Aka...What a Life!" is a dancefloor stomper that works surprisingly well, and the songs that revel in pomp and strings sound great loud. It's a good album. There are videos for "Aka...What a Life!" (featuring, um, Russell Brand) and "If I Had a Gun" at the bottom of this post and Spotify users can listen to the whole album.

Unlike Beady Eye, Noel has no problem playing Oasis songs (he did write them after all) so you're probably gonna get "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Wonderwall" (and probably some deep cuts) along with the entirety of his new album. Actually, you can look at last night's setlist, and pictures too, HERE.

Their first album made since (amicably) losing vocalist/keyboardist Aleksandra, Hello Sadness finds LC! "maturing" a bit: code for being less manic and shouty than previous albums. Which is fine, you can't do that forever, and it suits the tone of lyrics. (It's a massive breakup album.) There's a fair amount of wallowing going on, but you also get some terrific singles too, like "By Your Hand" which has a giant, stick-in-your-head chorus and is downloadable at the top of this post.

Heavy Times

Chicago's Heavy Times and Brain Ideaare here this week, playing Shea Stadium on 11/17 and Party Expo on 11/18. Both are worth checking out. Heavy Times just released Jacker on Hozac Records and you can check out "Future City" at the top of this post. As I said previously, it's one big snarl of an album and if you dig Obits and "I Wanna Live" era Ramones (or the HoZac label in general), this is right up your bowling alley.

Brain Idea

Brain Idea, meanwhile, make the kind of jangly guitar pop that was inescapable on college radio in the '80s. (Flying Nun and the paisley underground scene come to mind.) An MP3 for "Oh I'm Free" from this year's Mexican Summer-released Cosmos Factory EP is at the top of this post.

Although their web presence is minimal and enigmatic, Total Control's lineage is not: Daniel Young is in Straightjacket Nation, and Mikey Young spends time in Eddy Current Suppression Ring and both are also in UV Race. (Fellow UV Racer Alistair Montfort, plus Zephyr Pavey and James Vinciguerra round out the live line-up.) After a string of 7"s the band released Henge Beat back in August, a real corker of a debut album. It divides its time between motorik synth workouts, jittery post-punk and more Eddy Current style stormers, with a nice layer of repetition repetition repetition coating the whole shebang.

You can stream one of the album tracks at the bottom of this post. If you go to one of the shows, be sure to pick up the split Total Control/Oh Sees tour 12" too.

The band's first album for Rough Trade, Live Music, came out last month and knocks a lot of the dust off the band's grubby, in-the-red twangy R&B but I don't think it's necessarily to their detriment. There is grub to spare, and if you like dive bar rock n' roll and can't get enough of things that sound vaguely like early-'70s Rolling Stones you'll probably dig. Check out an MP3 of "Me and You" at the top of this post. None of their records have really captured what they're like live, anyway, which is the best way to experience them for sure. So go check out a show this weekend.

That'll do it for this week. Some day-by-day picks follow for shows not mentioned above.